Clarifying Assessment: Developing Typologies for Forms of Assessment in Law
Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association, 2013
12 Pages Posted: 21 Aug 2014 Last revised: 22 Aug 2014
Date Written: December 1, 2013
Abstract
Law students are expected to complete a range of assessment throughout their degree, and do so with varying levels of success. Increasingly, research has examined the ways in which student performance can be enhanced. While much focus has been on how to best to provide students with feedback that can be acted on, this paper examines the extent to which standardisation of the way in which assessment tasks are described could assist students. The use of the same name to describe different variations of an assessment task can create confusion for students and for new members of staff. Research demonstrates that students find it difficult to understand tacit knowledge embedded in assessment descriptions and feedback, and could benefit from clearer explanations of cognitive activities and product forms. Additionally, it is clear that student dialogue over the meaning of assessment requirements is valued by students. In order to assist with this process this paper suggests the development of official typologies of assessment and authoritative explanations of assessment requirements across a course of study.
Keywords: legal education, law students, assessment, typologies, rubrics
JEL Classification: I21, K10
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation